Adjustable buckle



March 17, 1942. SHAULSQN 2,276,595

ADJUSTABLE BUCKLE Filed May 5, 1941 INVENTOR ATTORNEY,

Patented Mar. 17, 1942 fiTES rnr OFFlCE 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to the buckle art, and more particularly to an adjustable lingerie buckle which can be readily attached to a lingerie strap without sewing.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a buckle construction which can be readily attached to a lingerie strap, garter strap, or similar article without sewing, and which can be utilized to adjust the length of the strap without sliding.

Another object of the present invention i to provide an adjustable buckle construction which can be used with either a two strap or single strap adjustment.

A further object of the'present invention is to provide a buckle construction which permits ready adjustment of the tape without the necessity of removing the buckle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a buckle construction which can readily be applied to various types of buckles, hooks, garters, and the like.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claim appended thereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a buckle embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the buckle shown in Fig. 1 used with a double tape adjustment;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 on Fi 2;

Fig. i is a front elevation of the buckle shown in Fig. 1 with a tape threaded therethrough for turning adjustment;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along line 55 on Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of another form of buckle embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of one type of hook buckle embodying my invention; and

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of another type of hook buckle embodying my invention with a tape threaded therethrough.

In the manufacture of womens wear such as lingerie, brassieres, garters, etc., it has been found desirable to provide an adjustable buckle which can readily be applied to the garment without sewing, and which can readily be adjusted and locked in adjusted position. In certain types of garments the shoulder strap ineludes two tapes adjustably locked to each end of a single buckle, while in other types a single strap is used and the buckle must be designed to take up on the single strap. My present invention is designed to provide a buckle of simple construction which can readily be interchanged for either single strap or two strap adjustment, and one which can be easily and readily stamped from sheet stock.

Referring to the drawing illustrating my invention, Fig. 1 shows a double buckle 20, tape being readily attachable and detachable from either end. The buckle comprises side bars 2! and 22 integrally connected by four spaced parallel bars 23, 24, 25 and 2B. The ends of the side bars 2! and 22 extend inwardly towards each other to form split end bar 21 and 28. The side bar 2! is split, as at 29, to form an opening into the space between the bars 25 and 26, and the side bar 22 issplit at 36 to form an openin into the space between the bars 23 and 24. The buckle 2E! therefore will include a central closed loop 3i bounded by side bars 2| and 22 and parallel bars 2% and 25. This central loop is spaced from bars 23 and 26 on each side thereof, one spacing opening at 29 through the side bar 2!, and the other spacing opening at 30 through the side bar 22. The central opening 3| is preferably wider than the adjacent spacings to ac-,

commodate a plurality of strands of tape.

The method of adjustably attaching two tapes to the buckle is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the tape 32 being looped around the bar 24. The folded tape strands are then passed over the bar 23 and beneath the split end bar 2? by twisting through the gap. In this position the pull on the tape frictionally locks the tape to the buckle without sewing or stitching. The other end of the buckle may be attached to a tape used as a tab, such as at 33, which is looped around the bar 25 with the folded strands passing over the bar 26 and beneath the split end bar 28. Adjust ment of the tape is readily obtained by slipping the tape strands out of the split end bar gaps and then adjusting the length by pulling around the central bars, and then looking after the length adjustment by returning the tape strands through the gap of the split end bars.

The method of adjustably attaching a tape to the buckle where a single strap is used is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. This method is especially adaptable to a slip or brassiere strap having a single strand of tape. The tape 34 is threaded through the central loop 3| with one end passing over the bars 25 and 26 and then under the bars and over the split end bar 21, and the opposite 1 end passing under the bars 23 and 24 and then over the bars and under the split end bar 28. To shorten the tape, the buckle is turned in a counter-clockwise direction, the tape being twisted through the split end bar gaps on each rotation to permit the tape to wind upon the bars 23, 24, 25 and 26, as shown in Fig. 5. To lengthen, the buckle is unwound in the opposite direction as many turns as necessary. As the tape is passed through the end bar gaps it becomes locked in adjusted position.

It can thus be seen that the buckle construction illustrated permits ready adjustment of a tape or lingerie strap and a positive locking action without danger of slipping, no sewing or stitching being required.

If desired, the buckle may be constructed as shown in Fig. 6. In this form the buckle 35 is constructed similarly to the buckle 20 except that the central loop 3| in the buckle 20 is eliminated, the bars 24 and 25 now forming a single wide bar portion 36. This construction permits the die blank to be readily adjusted for forming the buckle either with or without the loop. For the turning adjustment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, it is merely necessary to pass the tape into either the space 31 or 38 and then twist the buckle as hereinabove described. For the locking adjustment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the tape is looped around the central bar portion 35 over either of the adjacent bars and beneath the split end bar. The tab is now looped over the other bar and beneath the split end bar, and must be sewn to the garment to lock it in place. adjustment of one tape, whereas in the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3 both tapes are adjustable.

The buckle of the present invention may also be readily applied to a garter or lingerie hook.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 the main buckle portion 39 comprises 'a loop portion 48 spaced on one side forming a bar 4!, the spacing opening through one side bar to form an open slot. A split end bar 42 is also provided spaced from the bar 4!. The opposite end of the buckle is provided with an integral hook 43 in the plane of the buckle. In use, the tape is looped around the bar 44, over the bar All and beneath the split end This permits the ac /e595 bar, and the adjustment is made in a manner similar to the adjustment of the tape 32 in Fig. 2. A slightly different type of hook is shown in Fig. 8 in which a buckle 45 is provided with a hook 46 outside the plane of the buckle. In this view, the buckle is shown with a tape threaded therethrough in a manner hereinabove described. In the forms of buckles shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the hooks may be completely eliminated and a tape can be looped over the end bar and sewn to the garment at one end while the adjustment is made from the tape at the other end.

.As can be readily seen from the foregoing construction, I have provided a buckle attaching means which is simple in construction and can be readily blanked out in a single piece from sheet stock. The present invention provides a buckle which can readily be attached to a tape or the like without sewing or stitching and which provides a simple, positive, non-slipping adjustment. Furthermore, the buckle of the present invention can readily be applied to a single tape adjustment or a double tape adjustment without changing the construction of the buckle.

While I have described certain specific embodiments of my invention and have illustrated the same as applied to tapes, straps, and the like, it is obvious that changes in the size and shape and relative arrangement of the parts and their application to various devices may be made, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A buckle comprising an integral frame having spaced side bars and four transverse bars, the two intermediate transverse bars and the contiguous side bar portions providing a completely enclosed slot, one side bar having 'a passageway therethrough between one of said intermediate transverse bars and the transverse bar adjacent thereto, and the other side bar having a passageway therethrough between the other intermediate transverse b'ar and the transverse bar adjacent thereto, the side bars at each end of the buckle having portions turning inwardly towards each other with their ends spaced to provide a split end bar.

JOSEPH SI-IAULSON. 

